Folding bed



(No Model.)

P. R. WOLFINGER.

FOLDING BED.

No. 404,243. Patented May 28, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT rricn.

FRANCIS \VOLFINGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,243, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed August 22, 1888.

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS R. WoLFINGnR, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in folding. beds; and it consists in a stationary grooved guide and a stationary track secured to the stationary part of the bed, and a rocker provided with a roller to catch in the guide, secured to the movable part of the bed, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide the stationary portion of the bed with a horizontal track and the movable portion with a rocker which moves upon the track, and which is provided with projections upon its ends to catch in corresponding recesses in the track, so as to form pivotal points around which the movable portion of the bed rotates during a portion of its movement in being raised and lowered.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bed embodying my invention, partly in section, the

parts being shown in solid lines in one posi tion and in dotted lines in another. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached view of the operating parts. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached View of the feet, showing the parts in different positions.

A represents the stationary part of the frame, which may be constructed in any desired manner, and which is provided with the guides B, in which rollers or projections 0, attached to thehead-board, catch for the purpose of guiding the head-board D in its movements while the folding portion E of the bed is being raised and lowered. Secured to the rear side of the head-board D is the weight F, which serves to counterbalance the movable part E when it is being lowered into position. This weight serves to prevent the head-board D from being raised up as readily as it would if no weight were used, and the greater the weight the more slowly the part shown.

Serial No. 283,426. (No model.)

E will descend while being lowered into position.

Secured to the inner side of the lower portion of the stationary part A of the frame is the track G, of any suitable length, which extends horizontally, and is provided with a notch or recess, H, in the top of each end. This track is set out from the inner side of the frame A by means of a strip or piece, I, which is secured to the part A, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus bring the track directly under the rocker. Also secured to the inner side of the stationary part A, justabove the strip I and track G, is the curved guide J, which consists of a casting provided with slightly-curved guiding-flanges, at the end of which is an offset or recess, as shown in Fig. 2. This guide J extends diagonally upward from the strip and track, and serves as a connection with the rocker and its roller to limit the movement of the movable portion E of the bed as it is being lowered.

Secured to each side of the movable portion E of the bed is a rocker, L, which consists of a flat curved casting provided with a projection, N, at each end to catch in the recesses H in the top of the track G, and to one end of which the roller P is journaled. This rocker L has its lower convex edge to always bear upon the top of the track, and serves as a support and pivot for the portion E While it is being raised and lowered. The roller P moves in between the flanges upon the guide .I, and, in connection with the rocker, serves as a counter-balance for the movable portion of the bed. WVhile the portion E of the frame is in a vertical position, this rocker stands almost in a line with the guide J, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 2; but when the portion E is lowered the rocker has its upper end to de scend and to catch in the outer recess, ll, in the track G, while its inner end, carrying the roller P, rises upward in the guide J, as Owing to the fact that the flanges of the guides do not extend in a line with the curve which would be described by the rollers if they were left free to move as the part E of the bed is lowered, the rockers have a slight sliding movement on thetracks, so as to accommodate themselves to the angles of the flan In proportion as the part E descends the friction oi? the roller becomes greater upon the flanges ot' the guides'.l, owing to the angle at which the guide is placed, and thus increases the amount of resistance to its descent. As shown, the flanged guides J are placed at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and as the part E of the bed lowered the ends of the rockers l which are secured to this part E must rise, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and this upward motion of the inner ends of the rockers produces sufficient friction upon the part E to cause it to descend very slowly. The rollers 1 are en'iployed to decrease the amount of friction between the rockers and the guides. \Vere it not for these rollers the friction between the rockers and the guides would be so great that the part E could only be lowered by exerting considerable force, and with the danger of breaking the rockers or guides unless made very strong. The greater the inclination at which the gn ides are placed. the more slowly the part- E Wlll descend, owing to the fact that the inner ends of the rockers must rise through the guides, and thus produce an amount of friction which will counteract the tendency of the part E to drop. As the portion E is raised from a llOllZOlllLZtl position, the roller 1 moves backward and downward inv the guide .I' and sinks into the offset or recess at the end of the guide as the portion E assumes a vertical position.

'Ihe rocker L is not a quadrant, and the projection N at the upper end thereof, when the part- E of the bed is lowered, sinks into the recess ll at the outer end of the track before the bed assumes a horizontal position, and after this projection N thus sinks into recess it it forms a permanent pivot upon which part E turns, as distinguished from, the sliding or movable pivot furnished by the curved part of the rocker extending between the two projections N.

In raising the bed from the horizontal position the projection N at the other end. of the rocker sinks into recess ll at the other end of the track before the bed is in a vertical position, and serves as a stationary pivot around. which part E turns whilebeing turned up the reuniinder oi? the way into and, if desired, slightly beyond a vertical position. lly this form of construction of the rocker L with projections N at each end thereof oper ating in connection with the track G, having the recesses llone at each end thereofa pivotal. point is secured at each end of the movement of part E while being raised or lowered, which does not advance or recede in unison with the raising or lowering of the parts E, while the :ulvaneing and receding pivotal bearing is obtained when convex portion of the rocker is serving as the pivotal point. By flattening the curved portion of the rocker L between projections these projections will serve the pivotal point around which part E is moving for a greater portion of its n'iovement than when this curved part is made more convex, and the transition of the pivotal or bearing point from one projection N to the other thereof may be made to occur while part E is traversing a small fraction of the angle measured by it in turning from araised to a lowered position and back. lhe rocker L may be so placed upon. part E that the projectionv N at the outer end of the rocker, turnii'ig in the recess at the other end of the track and supported thereby, may serve for the pivot for a much greater portion of the time in the turning of the part E up or down than will the convex part of the rocker and the projection at the inner end thereof, resting in the other recess of the track. By this last-described arrangement less weight is required to comiterbalance the tendency of part E to drop than when the pivotal point on which part E turns is instantly and constantly receding from the time part E commenoes to raise from a horizontal position, and this independent of the result obtained. by me by the employment of roller 1 and guide J.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of the stationary portion of the bed, grooved guides secured thereto, and the recessed tracks, with the folding partof the bed and the rockers secured thereto, and provided with friction-rollers at one end to catch in the grooved guides, substantially as shown.

2. In a folding bed, the combination of the stationary portion of the frame, and stationary tracks rigidly secured thereto and provided with recesses at each of their ends, with the movable portion of the bed, the rockers rigidly secured thereto and provided with pivots or bearing-points at their ends, the pivots or bearing-points being so arranged that the folding portion of the bed moves a given distanee upon one pair of the pivots or bearingpoints, then rocks to the other pair of pivots at the other ends of the rockers, and swings thereon the remainder oi? the distance, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I al'lix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\Vitnesses:

Hanna LL W. .l iUltNS, Geo. W. l nixnicmn.

IIO 

